Disinfecting attachment for money drawers



March 30 1926. 1,579,124

H. F. MacGRATH DISINFECTING ATTACHMENT FOR MONEY DRAWERS Filed Sept. 27, 1923 SW7/MB g Patented Mar. 3G, 1926.

WNTEE STATES HAROLD FAULDER MACGRATH, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

DISINFECTING ATTACHMENT FOR MONEY DRAWERS.

Application filed September 27, 1923. Serial No. 665,164.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD FAULDEI: MAGGRATH, a citizen of the United States of America, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Disinfecting Attachments for Money Drawers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a disinfecting apparatus for cash registers and analogous devices having money drawers for receiving paper and other currency.

It is well known that bills and other currency which is circulated extensively frequently become contaminated with diseasecarrying germs to Such an extent as to endanger the health of the users, and the main object of my present invention is to provide simple and eiiicient means for automatically disinfecting this currency as it is placed in the drawers or similar containers without special attention on the part of the operator.

In other words', I have sought to provide the cash register or other depository for the currency with a container for the disinfectant having distributing pipes and nozzles normally-overlying the many pockets of the closed drawer or drawers and to equip the distributing' system with suitable means actuated preferably by the opening and closing movement of the drawer for withdrawingr the disinfectant from the container and dis-- charging it over and upon the money in the drawer after the latter is closed.

Other objects and uses relating to speciiic parts of the device will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a cash register and my improved disinfecting apparatus operatively mounted thereon, the drawer being shown in its partly open position.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2, Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken in the plane of line 3 3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view through the closed end of one of the distributing pipes taken on line 4-4, Figure 2.

The money disinfecting device may be associated with any suitable case, as a cash register -A-- having a money drawer -adivided into a series of compartmenh` -ffor receiving currency of various dcnominations either bills or coins.

As illustrated, a reservoir or container lfor the fluid disinfectant is supported upon a bracket -2- on the lower rear side of the case --A- with its lower end near the bottom of the chamber in which the money drawer -cis movable and provided with an outlet nipple -3- extending` through an opening iin the rear wall of the case -A- and operatively connected to one end of a horizontal piston pump -5, the upper end of said container being provided with an inlet 6- through which the container may be filled with any desired disinfectant, capable of being withdrawn from the container and forced upon the money in the drawer -A- by the operation of the pump in a manner presently described, said disinfectant being preferably made in the form of a liquid adapted to be sprayed upon the currency in the several pockets -a--.

The pump comprises a cylinder 3l-- and a piston -8- reciprocally movable therein preferably in the direction of movement of the drawer -a--.

The cylinder -7- is secured by screws --9- to the bottom of the casing A- and is provided in its rear end with an axially extending inlet -10- and an upwardly extending outlet nipple or gland -11-, the inlet lO- being connected to the outlet nipple -3- of the reservoir -1- while the outlet nipple or gland n+11" is connected to one end of a distributing pipe l2- having a plurality of, in this instance, two,branch distributing pipes i3- extending across the upper open sides of the several pockets -7 of the money drawer -aand having their free ends closed by suitable caps -14-, the intermediate portions of said branch pipes being provided in their under sides with relatively small openings --15- directly over the several pockets -aand constituting nozzles for spraying the disinfectant on to the currency in said pockets, particularly when the drawer is closed. (See Figure 4.)

The outlet nipple -8- of the reservoir -1- is provided with a check valve 17m adapted to be opened by the pressure of the liquid in the reservoir -lto admit said liquid to the piston chamber of the cylinder -7-, particularly when the piston -8-, is withdrawn from the passage 1O-.

The nipple or gland -1lis also provided with a check valve 18 adapted ,tov open to allow the disinfecting liquidto How Y from the cylinder -T-P into the distributing pipes -l2- and -fl-- `and thencey through the passages l5- on to the currency in `the pockets -aofthe drawer -aas the pistonis forced inwardly toward the passage -l0-.

A coilspring m19- is interposed between the inner end of the piston and opposite end of the cylinder for normally forcing the piston away from the passage -lO-, said piston being provided with a push rod 20%, extending gland in the end of the cylinder opposite the passage -lO- and into the path of movement of thevrear end .ofthe drawerv aso that Awhen the latter is closed, it will engage the push rod 20ed and thereby force the. piston rearwardly against the action of the spring -19- where it may be heldvby the locking of the drawer in its closed position through the medium of any suitable catch not necessary to herein illustrate or describe.

Operation, i

Assuming that the reservoir -1-- `is filled with a fluid disinfectant and that the drawer is in itsrclosed position, thereby 1 forcing the plunger -20- and its piston drawer -a will allow the plunger --20-y and piston -5- to be forced in the same direction by the action of the spring. -19- and will also allow the Valve -17- to open yand permit the flow of the disinfecting fluid from the reservoir l into the cylinder V-7-.

Now, if the` drawer withvthe money therein isA returned to 'itsclosedpositiom it will .force the plunger 20- and piston -5- money in the. several pockets -a' for the'.

purpose of destroying any disease germs which may adhere to the currency, all 'of which rende-rs'the handling of the currency outwardly through a g more hygienic and-therefore, less dangerous v to the health of the users.

I claim: l v Thevcombination with a case having a money drawer slidable therein, of a piston pump mounted in the case at the rear of 4the money drawer and provided with a piston rod projecting into the pat-h of move* ment of said money` drawer, a reservoir connected to the pump for supplying adisinfecting liquid thereto, a check valve controlling communication between the pumpv and reservoir; av discharge pipe leading from the pump across the open top of the money drawer rwhenthe latter is closed, said piston rod andpiston being actuatedA by the closing of the money drawer to force the disinfectant from the pump through said pipe, and a spring `for retracting the piston and piston rod and ualso for assisting in opening the drawer when the 'latter is released from its closed position.

Inwitness whereof- I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of September 1923.

HAROLD FAULDER MACGRATH; 

